


Plato's Stepchildren - A Dark Past Revealed

by Erin_Rogoff



Category: Spock/OC - Fandom, Star Trek, Star Trek Original Series, Star Trek TOS - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Horror, Loss, Love, Past, Reveals, Star Trek - Freeform, TOS, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 14:26:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8331223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erin_Rogoff/pseuds/Erin_Rogoff
Summary: I am Erin Rogoff, the First Officer's Assistant aboard the USS Enterprise. I have two secrets: one, I am in love with Mister Spock; and two, I have a secret past I've kept hidden for years now. Being tortured on Platonius pushed me to the limit and I did what I had to do to see my friends survive. Not only those with me on the planet, but those aboard the Enterprise, too.





	1. Losing Patience

Alexander sounded a horn as the door to Parmen's throne room opened, Captain Kirk, Mister Spock, Erin Rogoff, and Doctor McCoy staggering in unwillingly. Philana stood next to her husband as he sat upon his throne and watched the four space travelers as Philana spoke.  
"Gentlemen, lady, we are eternally in your debt. We've some trifles for you. Please accept them as tokens of our gratitude. They stem from the very source of our inspiration. To our noble captain, the shield carried by Pericles, as a symbol of gallant leadership." Philana glanced to a shield and it moved from the table into Kirk's hands. Kirk admired the ornate designs and Philana continued. "To our silent and cerebral Mister Spock, this kithara to pluck music, to soothe his ever-active brow." The kithara flew to Spock and he took it in his hand. Even with this gift, Spock favored his Vulcan lyre far more. "To Miss Erin Rogoff, I present to you the sword of Peleus, a magic sword that makes its wielder victorious in any battle or hunt." The sword flew to Erin and she caught it in her hand. The silver blade caught the light of the sun outside the open doors and Erin felt the smooth edge and sharp point. Erin circled it in the air and she felt good holding a weapon once more. "And lastly, to the physician Doctor McCoy, who saved Platonius and my spouse, this ancient collection of Greek cures, penned by Hippocrates himself." The scroll winged its way to McCoy and he opened it to read Greek lettering. McCoy thought to himself that if he ever made it back to the Enterprise with the scroll, he'd ask Lieutenant Uhura to translate it for him.  
"Has the Enterprise been released yet?" Kirk asked Parmen.  
"Captain, wait. I know what you're thinking. My humble apologies. You were badly used. In my own defense, allow me to say that my illness was more profoundly disturbing than I myself realize. I am sure that you, too, have been out of sorts and have been driven to fits of temper and rage. Unlike you, however, what I think and feel, whether for good or ill, is instantly translated into reality. So please, find it in your heart to forgive me." Parmen pleaded.  
"Certainly," said Kirk. "Has the Enterprise been released yet?"  
"It will be shortly," replied Parmen.  
"Then good day, and thank you for the presents." The four turned and were about to walk back to their landing point, ready to beam back up to the Enterprise, when Parmen spoke again.  
"Not at all. But there is one final request. After my nearly fatal infection, it has become obvious to us all that we cannot afford to be without a skilled physician. Therefore we should like you, Doctor McCoy, to remain." The four turned back to Parmen and Erin glanced to Kirk and McCoy and Spock. None of them met her gaze but it was her intuition that told her something dark was about to unfold, something that would be unforgettable in time to come. Erin just knew it.  
"I'm very sorry, but that's impossible." McCoy forced himself to smile sadly.  
"Your duties will be extraordinarily light. You'll be free to read, meditate, conduct research, whatever you like. You'll want for nothing."  
"The answer is no." McCoy stated plainly. Erin's grip on the sword she was given tightened and Spock glanced to her, noticing her movements. Erin's blue eyes met Spock's dark ones and the redheaded human female's mind screamed that trouble was brewing. Spock couldn't read Erin's mind without touching her but he began to sense Erin's uneasiness.  
"We should like to keep it cordial, but we are determined to have you stay, Doctor." Parmen smirked but held a coldness within his eyes.  
"Doctor McCoy saved your life." Kirk reminded Parmen.  
"I am losing patience, Captain." Parmen's voice chilled.  
"And you consider yourself a disciple of Plato?" Kirk asked quickly.  
"We manage to live in peace and harmony." Parmen was still cold.  
"Whose harmony? Yours? Plato wanted truth, and beauty, and above all, justice." Erin spoke up. Spock looked to the first officer's assistant and sided with her without a thought of hesitation.  
"My dear Miss Rogoff, I admit that circumstances have forced us to make a few adaptations of Plato, but ours is the most democratic society conceivable. Anyone can, at any moment, be or do anything he wishes, even to becoming ruler of Platonius if his mind is strong enough."  
"And if his mind isn't strong enough, he gets torn apart like Alexander." Kirk said louder than he intended to with a harshness in his voice not there before.  
"Oh, come now. We are not children. In your culture, justice is the will of the stronger. It is forced upon people by means of weapons and fleets of spaceships. Our justice is the will of the stronger mind, and I for one, consider it a vast improvement."  
"We don't use our weapons for the kind of brutality you practice." Kirk's eyes narrowed.  
"Farewell, Captain," said Parmen.  
The four turned from the Platonians and proceeded to leave the Greek-like throne room. Kirk took a few paces first, then Erin and Spock, Spock holding a hand near the small of Erin's back. Philana's eyes widened and she looked to Parmen and let out a smirk. It was clear to the both of them that Spock harbored feelings - emotions - towards Erin. They would use that to their advantage. And finally McCoy turned to leave but found his feet to be frozen in place. He tried to move but found he could not.  
"Come on, Doctor. McCoy..." Kirk noticed McCoy unable to leave with them.  
"I can't move, Jim. They're going to keep me here no matter what. Leave, please."  
"No. You're the doctor. They don't want to force you. They need your goodwill. They're trying-" Kirk was interrupted.  
Parmen extended a hand out to McCoy and it was clear he was the one controlling McCoy, making it impossible for him to move. "Captain, go while you still can."  
"We're not leaving until McCoy is released." Kirk spoke up. Erin looked to Spock and then to McCoy. No matter the fate they would suffer, they would suffer together and form heroic camaraderie between them all.  
While still in Starfleet, Kirk and Erin trained and studied together. Kirk knew McCoy from before and Spock was the last to enter their clique of four, Erin soon falling for Spock himself. McCoy once asked Kirk if he felt anything for Erin - love, perhaps? - but Kirk said no, that he thought of Erin only as a sister for he and McCoy both knew Erin preferred Spock to all others. They two kept Erin's secret hidden from all and had not gone back on their swears of silence.  
"This is not the Enterprise. You are not in command, Captain Kirk!" Parmen reminded Kirk.  
"Why even discuss it? Get rid of them!" Philana was just as impatient as her husband.  
"No, my dead. That might offend the good doctor." Parmen turned from his wife to the four space travelers. "You wish to stay? By all means. You can help us celebrate our anniversary. In the process, I hope we can persuade you to join our tiny republic."  
"You won't persuade me," said McCoy.  
"I think we will." Parmen extended a hand out to McCoy and pulled the human doctor to sit beside him and Philana. McCoy sat and looked to Kirk and Spock and Erin. Laurel wreaths were thrown to the ground before Kirk and Spock, who were then forced to kneel and put them on before looking to Erin. McCoy looked, too, and watched as Erin was levitated in the air some height. Erin's grip on the sword she held tightened and her knuckles turned white. It appeared as if Erin would be the opening act for the Platonian anniversary party. McCoy opened his mouth to protest but Philana looked to him and silenced him with her brainwaves.  
"Is there anything you'd like to say before we proceed?" Philana asked Erin.  
Erin's blue eyes were as cold as the ice storms on Sarpeidon. "You can go to Hell, the lot of you." All three, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were surprised to hear Erin say 'Hell' for she was not one to use profanity by any means, and never even heard her say that word. Philana's blue eyes narrowed, angry, and she reached her hand out and forced Erin to use her new gift against her.  
"I will hear you scream." Philana spoke.  
"No, you won't. That I promise you." Philana's jaw clenched and she gestured for the sword to impact Erin's own body. Erin held her breath as she was forced to put the blade of her sword to her pale skin and let her blood spill to the ground, starting from her upper arms to her wrists. Crimson red blood spilled from Erin's cuts and bled far more when Philana smirked and dug the silver blade deeper into Erin's skin. Kirk's hands balled into fists and Spock's eyes held a rage none had ever seen before.  
"Stop this! Please stop this!" McCoy yelled to Parmen and Philana as Erin reached her wrists. Blood spattered against the floor and pooled red as Erin tensed up and breathed in deeply, trying not to scream out in pain from the sheer agony of blood loss.  
"Do you wish to see her die, Doctor McCoy?" Philana asked. "Because I can make that happen." The Platonian queen laughed coldly and tossed the bloodied-blade sword to the floor. Erin's face was pale and her whole body looked thinner. McCoy knew if he couldn't get to her in time, it would be too late to save her. "I seem to recall your kind does not die from mere scratches, but from massive blood loss... That's another story." McCoy looked to Philana and pleaded for Erin's life. "Very well, Doctor. You will see your Miss Rogoff live." Philana released her hold on Erin and let her drop to the floor in her own blood. Alexander went to Erin's side and looked her over in horror. McCoy was allowed to see to it that Erin was alive and would keep her that way but was not allowed to mend her wounds fully using his medikit.  
"How could you do this to her!?" Kirk shouted at Philana. "She did nothing to you! How could you!? Ah!" Kirk was forced onto all fours along with Spock beside him, both men bowing to Parmen and Philana before taking the wreaths in their hands and putting them on. The two stood again and were forced to dance around each other and 'sing' a rhyme.  
"I'm Tweedledee, he's Tweedledum," said Kirk.  
"Two spacemen marching to a drum," said Spock.  
And then both of them sang. "We slith among the mimsey toves, and gyre among the borogoves." They were forced to their knees again and Kirk was free to speak. For the moment.  
"You're not staying, McCoy! No matter what he tries to-" McCoy watched helplessly as he was a witness to his captain, his friend, prostrating on the white-tiled floor. "Being your slave, what should I do but tend upon the hours and times of your desire? I have no precious time at all to spend, nor services to do, till you..."  
"Stop it! Don't do this to him, Parmen!" McCoy begged the philosopher king.  
"McCoy, no matter what he makes me say or do, the answer's no..." Kirk writhed on the floor.  
"No, Parmen! Stop it!" McCoy wasn't at the point to dropping to his knees just yet but continued to watch as Kirk rolled on the floor in agonizing pain.  
"Well, Doctor?" Parmen asked.  
"I... I have my orders." McCoy closed his eyes and felt himself beginning to tear apart inside as he watched his greatest friends in all the galaxy fall to pieces to keep him with them.  
"As you wish, Doctor." Parmen turned back to Kirk and Spock.  
"Is this your utopia? Your grand vision of the future? You don't even-" All turned to Erin to see she spoke up, the blood on her arms and wrists slowing and drying. Parmen narrowed his gaze and Erin writhed in pain herself, still no screams escaping her mouth, as Parmen and Philana wanted her to do. It dawned on Erin's friends that she must have suffered a fate far worse than this at some point in her life for her to be this strong, this able not to scream. It was intriguing, and... fascinating.  
"We've had enough of your moralizing," said Parmen.  
"And we've had too much of yours! You'll never get me to stay here," said McCoy.  
"You will be happy to stay. It takes a little time, Doctor, but you will be happy to stay." Parmen looked the horror-stricken doctor over and returned his gaze to the two humans and Vulcan. McCoy watched as Spock was forced to dance quite close to Kirk's head, Flamenco-style, and ending with a boot directly over Kirk's face. Parmen let out a laugh as he was allowed to rest, and was forced to laugh heartily. Spock crawled over to Alexander, who was forced to join in, too.  
"He's a Vulcan! You can't force emotion out of him!" McCoy joked about the coldness of the Vulcan heart but when he was allowed to see Vulcan emotion, he was devastated for wishing to see something that out of character in Spock.  
"You must be joking, Doctor." Philana looked McCoy over.  
"You'll destroy him." McCoy watched as Spock suddenly changed.  
"We can't let him die laughing, can we?" Parmen smirked and gestured a hand out in front of him, forcing Spock to cry.  
"I beg you..." McCoy's voice trailed off.  
"Spock..." All looked to Kirk who was trying not to writhe in pain. "Spock, don't let them break you. Hold on. Don't..."  
Alexander stood and the emperor and empress of Platonius looked to the throwback dwarf. "Parmen, they saved your life. I'm ashamed to be a Platonian. Ashamed!" Parmen glanced to Kirk and then to Alexander and then back to Kirk. Kirk was now on all fours like a horse and Alexander was forced to climb on his back and ride him around the room as Kirk reared and neighed during the torment.  
"Doctor, how can you let this go on?" Parmen looked to a horror-stricken McCoy.


	2. Facing Worse

In the guestroom, Spock sat upon a velvet sofa with his hands folded together. While he was withdrawn, Alexander watched helplessly and put a hand on Spock's shoulder. It may not have been a very Vulcan thing to do but Alexander considered the new visitors his friends for they saved his life, an act something Alexander never had done for him in his life. Kirk awakened from an unconscious state on a sofa of his own and turned to see McCoy hunched over Erin with his medikit in his hands. The bleeding of Erin's cuts and gashes had stopped and Kirk stood and walked over to his friends, watching as McCoy pulled out the skin knitter from the pouch on his belt.  
McCoy put the device to Erin's skin and looked up to her before proceeding. "This may hurt." the doctor warned.  
Erin smirked, her face unusually pale from the lack of blood flowing through her veins. "I've faced worse than this, Doctor McCoy. I'll live." McCoy raised an eyebrow and turned back to the skin knitter. He pressed a button on the device and Kirk watched Erin's face. She didn't flinch a muscle as the skin knitter melded her wounds together, forming faint scars of white and the palest of pink shades.  
"Erin, what do you mean? You've faced worse before?" Kirk was curious about his friend. They'd worked with each other for three years, attended Starfleet together, and still Kirk knew little about Erin's past when she still lived on Earth.  
Erin looked up to Kirk and then back to the scars on her arms. Erin was normally pale porcelain but now she looked sickly pale. Her scars would fade; that she knew. "If I tell you, promise not to tell anyone. Please."  
Kirk and McCoy looked to each other and then back to Erin. "We promise."  
"Before joining Starfleet, as you know, I worked with my father for Earth's government." Kirk nodded. He knew that much but didn't know exactly what it was Erin's father did. "My father was... an agent, and... I was his assistant, so to speak. I traveled worlds with my father and, despite the negative aspects of the job I chose to have freely, I felt I knew the job was my calling. There were times, though, that I was... taken... from my father, and I was... tortured." McCoy's blue eyes widened and Kirk quirked an eyebrow. Neither human male noticed Spock was coming out of his focused trance, turning and taking notice of Erin along with Alexander. "That part of my life... I forced myself to end it, but now... All the memories are coming back."  
McCoy finished with the skin knitter and placed it back in the pouch on his belt. He gestured for Kirk to follow him and the two men turned from Erin. Kirk came close to McCoy with a question in his mind. "Have you ever checked Erin's mental state for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?"  
McCoy shook his head. "I have not, Jim, but that isn't out of the realm of possibility." Kirk crossed his arms and exhaled slowly before looking to Spock. Erin joined the men by Spock's sofa.  
"Can you do anything for him?" Kirk asked McCoy.  
"There is no medicine that can help him. He'll have to come through this himself," said McCoy.  
"I trust they did not injure you too much, Captain." Spock spoke up.  
"My muscles are sore, that's all." Kirk saw that Spock turned from him to Erin and then to McCoy.  
"Erin's injuries will heal, will they not, Doctor McCoy?" Kirk and McCoy glanced to each other before looking back to Spock. This was the first time they heard Spock use Erin's first name alone in front of them. Despite McCoy teasing Spock about marrying a computer in the future, he had a feeling that Erin loved Spock... and that the Vulcan may have felt something for Erin in return.  
"The humiliation must have been most difficult for you to bear. I can understand." Spock said quietly.  
"The release of emotions, Mister Spock, is what keeps us healthy. Emotionally healthy, that is." McCoy let out a small smile.  
"That may be, Doctor. However, I have noted that the healthy release of emotion is frequently unhealthy for those closest to you." Spock looked Erin over and exhaled slowly. Erin's eyes met Spock's and she saw feeling within him. Erin knew the Platonians made Spock feel a bitterness towards them for hurting Erin, possibly something more.  
Spock averted his gaze and looked to Kirk as he spoke. "Which just goes to prove that there's no such thing as a perfect solution."  
"So it would seem. Captain..."  
"Yes, Spock?" Kirk looked to his Vulcan friend.  
"Do you still feel anger towards Parmen?" the Vulcan science officer asked.  
"Great anger," was Kirk's response.  
"And you, Doctor?" Spock looked to McCoy. The doctor nodded. "Erin?" Spock met Erin's gaze which never wavered from his face.  
"Complete hatred, a burning feeling hotter than fire." Erin had a way with words.  
"Then you must release it, as I must master mine." Spock took in a shaky breath. "I may have seriously injured you, Captain, even killed you. They have evoked such great hatred in me, I cannot allow it to go further. I must master it." Spock stood and went to a table. On the table was a silver plate of fruit, empty goblets, and a pitcher of red wine. Spock placed a hand over one of the goblets and his hand curled around it. "I must... control." And Spock's hand tensed and the goblet broke, shattered into pieces. Erin breathed in sharply and went to Spock's side, putting a hand on his arm.  
Spock froze, his eyes filled with a burning hatred, and McCoy pulled Kirk away to speak with him. "Jim, this is senseless. I've thought it over. I'm staying."  
"You can't." Kirk refused to lose his friend and submit to the wishes of the Platonians.  
"Parmen has promised me you'll be safe." McCoy was a bit naive at this point.  
"Promised? Parmen? He'd let us beam up to the Enterprise, and plunge the ship back into the atmosphere."  
"Why? Why trick me?" McCoy asked.  
"Because, if he killed us outright in front of you, you'd retaliate. You're a doctor. You have the means." Kirk placed both hands on McCoy's shoulders and continued. "Bones, I know you're trying to do the right thing, but if any one of us escaped, Parmen knows Starfleet would never let this planet go unpunished. Sacrifice yourself by agreeing to stay, and you sign our death warrants."  
Alexander spoke up. "He's right. I should have warned you. They were treating you the same way they treat me. Just like me! Only you fight them." Alexander stood on the sofa so he was eye to eye with Kirk and McCoy, Spock and Erin standing aside but watching. "All the time, I thought it was me, my mind that couldn't move a pebble. They even told me I was lucky they bothered to keep me around at all, and I believed them. The arms and legs of everybody's whim. Look down, don't meet their eyes. Smile. Smile! These great people, they were gods to me. But you showed me what they really are. And now I know, don't you see. It's not me, it's not my size, it's them! It's them! It's them!" Alexander jumped from the sofa and went to another table where an urn stood upon. With all his might, Alexander took the urn and slammed it on the floor, shattering it into a hundred pieces. Kirk and McCoy jumped back from the flying pieces and watched as Alexander bent to the ground and took a sharp piece of the pottery.  
Kirk strode towards Alexander and held a hand out to him. "Put it down," said Kirk.  
"No! This is the best thing for them!" Alexander protested.  
"Put it down. Do what I say." Kirk wouldn't let up.  
"I'm going to cut them. I'm going to cut them! Parmen first, and they'll all get infected. But this time, listen, whatever they say, don't save them! Let them die!" Spock turned his watchful eye from Kirk and Alexander to Erin. Erin still stood at his side like a loyal friend and follower. Erin glanced up at Spock and the two looked to what Erin was holding. Spock's hand. She quickly pulled her hand away and her cheeks blushed, only slightly. Spock quirked an eyebrow and searched Erin's face for any sort of hint as to what she was thinking. Spock found human females to be fascinating creatures but Erin was the most intriguing of all. She was beautiful, mysterious, highly intelligent, secretive... and kind to others who did not torture or mutilate her as the Platonians did.  
"Give it to me!" Kirk yelled.  
"At least let me give them a taste of what they gave me. Please, they're going to kill you anyway. You know that!" Alexander pleaded. Spock still searched Erin's face and knew deep down she had the stirrings of a plan in mind to escape.  
Spock remembered once asking Kirk what he did before they met. Kirk said he always made sure Plan A worked. With Spock, Kirk still had Plan A but Spock was the one with Plan B in mind. And now with Erin, she had Plan C in mind.  
"In that case, what's the point in you dying too, Alexander?" Kirk asked with a smile on his face. He held his hand out to the Platonian dwarf and continued to smile. "Give it to me."  
Alexander teared up and handed the shard of pottery over to Kirk. "That's the first time anybody ever thought of my life before his own." Kirk walked Alexander over to the sofa and the two sat, watched by the others. "I should have told you when you first came here that they were going to kill you. I knew, but I was afraid. I was afraid..." Alexander felt as if he'd let his new friends down, and that was something he didn't want.  
"That's all right," said Kirk. "It's all right, Alexander. Listen, we haven't given up, and there may be something you can do to help."  
Alexander turned to Kirk and stopped tearing himself up. "Anything I can do to help, you just tell me!" Alexander wanted nothing more than to repay his new friends for their help so far, saving his life, showing that the others were the real monsters, and putting his life before their own.  
"All right," said Kirk. "Did the Platonians always have this power?"  
"No, not until we came to this planet," said Alexander.  
All looked to Spock as he spoke up. "Alexander, is it possible for you to recall how long after you arrived here that the power began to develop?" Spock asked the dwarf.  
"How could I forget that? It was exactly six months and fourteen days after we got here that they started pushing me around." Alexander was just as precise with dates as Spock was.  
"And would you know how many months' supplies you brought with you?" Spock asked.  
"Well, four, I think, or three."  
"That's close enough, Alexander," said Spock. "Fascinating. Their power developed two or three months after they started eating the native foods."  
"That's right," said Alexander.  
"Then it is logical to assume that there is a connection between the psychokinetic power and the eating of the native foods," Erin spoke up.  
"Our Vulcan friend is contaminating that girl, Jim." McCoy brought that up again. The good Southern doctor brought up the subject of 'the Vulcan contamination of Erin' whenever Erin spoke like Spock would have, or did. He then referred back to their conversation. "Then why wouldn't Alexander have the same power as the others?"  
"Perhaps his system cannot absorb the crucial element." Spock suggested.  
Kirk turned to McCoy. "Bones, I think it'd be a good idea if you took a reading of Alexander's blood."  
McCoy bent down to Alexander and neared him with his tricorder. Alexander stammered somewhat as he spoke. "Not that I'm afraid or anything, but will it hurt much?"  
"You won't even know it happened," said McCoy.  
"You still have a tricorder reading of Parmen's blood, don't you?" Kirk asked McCoy.  
"Of course," replied the doctor. "Parmen possesses the highest order of psychokinetic ability, and Alexander the lowest, in the same environmental conditions."  
"The probabilities are that Alexander was born with some biochemical deficiency relative to Platonius." Spock looked to Alexander and then to McCoy.  
"I'll run both their blood samples through for a full comparative test on the tricorder." McCoy looked to his tricorder and medikit.  
"And if our theory works out, we've got a weapon." Kirk let out a smile.  
"The one significant difference between Parmen's blood and Alexander's is a concentration of kironide, broken down by pituitary hormone," said McCoy.  
"Kironide." It's a high-energy source. That could be it." Kirk nodded.  
Erin crossed her arms and flinched as her hands touched her scars. They still hurt her. "The pituitary hormones confirm the hypothesis. They also regulate body growth."  
"Oh," said Alexander slowly. "You mean the same thing that kept me from having the power made me a... dwarf?"  
Erin nodded. "Yes. It's also obvious why Parmen kept this little utopia a secret. Anyone coming down here and remaining long enough would acquire the power."  
"Exactly. McCoy, there must be a quick way of building up a concentration of kironide in our blood." Kirk looked to McCoy for an answer within his tricorder and medikit.  
"It'll take some doing, but it's possible." McCoy looked to his tricorder as Kirk spoke up again.  
"What are we waiting for?" McCoy took a few ampoules from his bag but hesitated for a brief moment. "What is it, Bones?" Kirk asked, concerned.  
"Even if the kironide reaches the desired effect, it still may not help us get out of here." McCoy had a point.  
"Yes, there are thirty-eight of them." Kirk said, and Spock looked to Erin, who glanced to the sword of Peleus lying propped up against the sofa she lay on not minutes ago. The sword shined and Spock had an idea of what Erin was thinking. Whether or not he disapproved of her ideas, he didn't say just yet.  
"The point is well taken. However, the psychokinetic power is not additive. If it were, considering the Platonians' hostile propensities, two or three of them would have combined forces centuries ago and deposed Parmen." Spock suggested.  
"He's right," said Alexander. "Do you know, Parmen says each has his own separate power frequency, because before when they've tried to combine their powers, and use them together, it never worked."  
McCoy tapped the hypospray and turned to Kirk. "I'm ready."  
"Let's not waste any time. Give us double the concentration in Parmen's bloodstream." Kirk was the first to have the hypospray injected into his arm, then Spock, and then Erin. As McCoy injected the hypospray into Erin's arm, he was careful to be gentle for he knew full well Erin's mended cuts still hurt her.  
Spock crossed his arms. "The time factor concerns me. It may take days or even weeks before there's enough buildup from the kironide to be of any benefit to us."  
"Yes." Kirk agreed. "What about Alexander?" The four turned to the dwarf.  
"Since the kironide's broken down and injected directly into his bloodstream, it should work on him as well as us. Better, in fact, because he's acclimated."  
Alexander backed away with anger in his eyes. "Oh, no! Not after what they've done to me!"  
Kirk raised an eyebrow. "Why not? You could conceivably take Parmen's place and run the whole planet."  
Alexander couldn't stress enough to get his point across. "You think that's what I want? Become one of them? Become my own enemy!? Just lie around like a big blob of nothing and have things done for me? I want to move around for myself. If I'm going to laugh or cry, I want to do it for myself. You can keep your precious power! All I ask is one thing. If you do make it out of here, take me with you! Just drop me any place they never heard of kironide of Platonius."  
Kirk bent down to Alexander's level but stopped as four figures beamed down before them. Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. Erin felt herself pulled to stand by Uhura. All of them opened their mouths to speak but no words came out. Kirk stood tall again and looked to his friends, his crewmates. "Scotty, what-" Kirk paused. "Parmen." He looked away and watched as the five walked deeper into the palace, the men going down one corridor and Erin and Uhura going down the other. "I guess we weren't sufficiently... entertaining."


	3. Theater Tricks

The shipmates met up again in a large theater, of sorts. There was Kirk and Spock, and Erin and Uhura. All four of them were dressed in Greek-styled garb. Kirk wore a red tunic with gold lining and Spock wore a green tunic with black lining. Both men wore golden wreaths on their heads. As the two men looked upon Erin and Uhura, they thought that if their situation was not so horrible, they may attend a masquerade ball with the women. Kirk thought back on that for Erin was like a sister to him, not a love interest for she held secret feelings for Spock, and Uhura was Scotty's woman. Uhura was dressed in a pink tunic-dress that showed off her legs and wore flat sandals and had her hair down. Kirk noticed Spock tensed upon looking Erin over. Erin wore a white dress with gold trim and a golden-brown belt. The neckline scooped to form a V-shape which accentuated the curves of her chest. The dress revealed quite a bit of her flawless skin and Erin even had her long red hair down in curls and tied in ringlets. She looked absolutely beautiful, like Artemis, but more secretive in life.  
"Are we ever glad to see you!" Uhura exclaimed, and she Erin neared Kirk and Spock. "We were all forced in the transporter and beamed down. It was like becoming someone's puppet."  
Erin crossed her arms and lowered her gaze to the ground. "I feel ridiculous. I've never worn something like this before. I think it would be slightly more tolerable if I had a bow and a quiver of arrows. Something more like the goddess Artemis."  
Uhura looked Erin over and then looked back to Kirk. "I thought I was sleepwalking for a time. I couldn't stop myself. Captain, what is going on?" Uhura asked.  
Kirk looked to Erin to tell Uhura their present situation while he pulled Spock away to speak for a brief moment. The two men glanced over their shoulders to see the Nubian princess place a hand over her mouth and inhale a hitched breath.  
"Spock, do you feel any effect of the kironide shot?" Kirk asked his first officer, his friend.  
"I have experienced a slight flush, Captain." Spock admitted.  
Kirk crossed his arms and put a hand to his chin in thought. "Maybe your Vulcan system works faster than any human system. That green blood of yours has its benefits. I've felt nothing." Kirk paused. "Try a simple test. Concentrate on raising this plate of fruit." Kirk watched as Spock's hands curled into fists, knowing that his Vulcan friend felt great hatred towards not only the Platonians for making him look like a fool before them but also because he was angry with himself that he could not help his friends.  
After a moment, Spock released himself. "Nothing, Captain." Spock paused. "Jim, I'm sorry." Laughter was heard and the four looked up to a series of shutters. They drew back and revealed their audience: McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Alexander, and the Platonians. Spock looked to Erin for a split second and could have sworn he heard her speak, yet her mouth was not moving.  
If only I had that sword of Peleus. Maybe a dagger, maybe a bow and some arrows. I'd kill them all! It was then that Spock realized he was the only one affected, and that the kironide had amplified his ability to read minds. He no longer needed to touch someone to read their thoughts for their thoughts screamed out to him. Spock turned to the Platonians and his shipmates read their thoughts. Kirk was angered, Uhura was terrified, Erin was growing homicidal, McCoy felt hatred towards the Platonians, Scotty and the others felt confused, Alexander felt guilt, and the Platonians felt amusement for what they were about to do to them all.  
Parmen stood from his throne and smiled as he spoke an impromptu speech. "Fellow academicians, twenty-five hundred years ago, a band of hearty vagabonds arrived on this barren, rough-hewn planet. There was a desperate hardship of backbreaking toil. And then a divine providence graced out genius and out dedication with the power of powers. And through it, our every need instantly materialized. We thereupon determined to form a utopian brotherhood. This night is indeed a festive occasion, for tonight, we welcome into that brotherhood its first new member!" Parmen held a hand out to McCoy, whom Spock read the thoughts of. McCoy was a Southern gentleman but he wished he could give Parmen a 'left hook,' as Spock read in his mind.  
"Not yet, Parmen. You have to convince the doctor first." Kirk reminded the king.  
"They'll never do it, Jim." McCoy assured Kirk.  
"Doctor, please," said Parmen. "You have destroyed the festive mood of the ladies. We must recapture it at once." Parmen smirked. "I know. What would be better than a serenade from the laughing spaceman?" Erin's blue eyes narrowed as she looked at the pale faces of the Platonians, all of them laughing and mocking them. Erin's eyes glanced around the room for some form of a weapon. On either side of the room were tables and stands for an assortment of weapons, one of them being a dagger.  
"Erin, what are you-" Spock was cut off as Erin bolted for the dagger. She took it in her hands and aimed right for Parmen's head. Erin's blue eyes became as cold as ice as she let the dagger fly from her hand. The blade cut through the air and Parmen gasped in as he ducked down, everyone watching the dagger embed itself into the carpeted wall. Philana stood from her throne and gestured for a large urn to impact Erin's head. Spock called out and pushed Erin out of the way of the pottery as it hit the wall, too, and shattered. Erin fell to the floor with Spock atop her, Spock's face full of concern for Erin. Parmen stopped Philana from continuing and she sat back down with a pout on her lips and anger in her eyes. Spock helped Erin to her feet and Kirk looked the first officer's assistant over. She did not have a scratch on her from the shattered urn, and nor did Spock.  
"What do you have to say for yourself, human?" Parmen asked Erin.  
"I'm sorry I didn't kill you when I had the chance." Erin said blatantly.  
Parmen's jaw tightened and he gestured a hand out before him, Erin and Uhura dragged over to a couch as Alexander picked up a lyre and began to play as Spock was forced to sing. "Take care, young ladies, and value your wine. Be watchful of young men in their velvet prime. Deeply they'll swallow from your finest kegs. Then swiftly be gone leaving bitter dregs. Ah, bitter dregs." Uhura glanced to Erin next to her and saw Erin's hands curled into fists. Erin couldn't stand seeing Spock be tortured like this and everyone knew it. "With smiling words and tender touch." It was then that Spock placed a hand over Erin's and she tried not to melt under his touch. "Man offers little and asks for so much. He loves in the breathless excitement of night, then leave with your treasure in cold morning light. Ah, in cold morning light."  
Parmen laughed and Spock was released for the moment. All four were forced to stand and wait as the furniture around the room changed and was moved about, two sofas moving next to each other and the tables of Greek weapons displayed before the Platonians. "And now let the revels begin!" said Parmen. Erin's hands touched Spock's and their fingers intertwined, Erin leading Spock to one sofa and Uhura doing the same with Kirk to the other sofa. Alexander continued to play the lyre as Kirk and Spock were forced to switch again and again, Uhura and Kirk and Erin and Spock, and then Uhura and Spock and Erin and Kirk. They switched again and Dioniyde and Eraclitus laughed heartily.  
"Oh, how faithless and fickle!"  
"Make up your minds!" Parmen raised a hand and the two men stopped switching, now being Uhura and Kirk and Erin and Spock. Uhura and Kirk were forced to freeze entirely as the act between Erin and Spock proceeded.  
"Please... make them stop." Erin whispered, her voice hitching. Spock drew closer to Erin and took her in her arms, his hands running through her long red hair and his eyes looking over the emotions in her face.  
"I haven't the power. I'm deeply sorry, Erin. I've failed you." Spock came closer to Erin and breathed in her wildflower-scented hair. "For so long, we've worked side by side, and every time I see you, I want to be nearer to you." Erin's blue eyes widened. "I feel for you."  
Erin looked Spock over and was forced to put a hand to his face as he drew closer to her. "What do you mean?" Erin whispered.  
Spock's deep brown eyes locked with Erin's blue orbs. "You are beautiful, more beautiful than any dream of beauty I've ever known. I care for you deeply... more than you know." And finally the two were forced to kiss, Spock lowering Erin to the sofa as he moved to sit above and beside her.  
I feel a life spark within me, one I thought I lost... Erin's thoughts called out to Spock, and he heard them loud and clear as their lips touched and their kiss deepened, Erin's arms snaking around Spock's neck.  
"Careful, Mister Spock, Too much love is dangerous." Dioniyde quipped.  
"Remember, Cupid's arrow kills Vulcans." That comment brought out laughter from the Platonians and McCoy watched in despair as he was unable to do a thing to stop them. He looked to the others - Scotty, Sulu, and Chekov - and saw they were in shock that Spock was forced to act this most un-Vulcan way. McCoy looked to one of the swords on the table before them and thought to himself that he could kill Parmen but then thought against it for Philana would enter into a revenge killing without a moment of hesitation, so all McCoy knew he could do was sit and watch the torture that lay before his eyes.  
Kirk took Uhura in his arms and McCoy looked to Scotty. Uhura was Scotty's woman - everyone knew that - and it killed Scotty to see his girlfriend in the arms of another man. Scotty's hands balled into fists and his teeth clenched. He could only watch, helpless, as Uhura searched for comfort in Kirk. "I'm so frightened, Captain. I can't help myself."  
"That's the way they want you to feel. It makes them think that they're alive." Kirk looked into Uhura's brown eyes and saw only fear.  
"I know it, but I wish I could stop trembling." Uhura shook in Kirk's arms. McCoy looked to Erin and Spock and saw they were forced to continue kissing.  
"Try not to think of them." Kirk's hand touched Uhura's face and she let out a whimper. They had only friendship towards each other, not love.  
"I'm thinking..." Uhura began. "I'm thinking of all the times on the Enterprise when I was scared to death and I would see you so busy giving commands. Scotty would be on the bridge with you and he would look at me and my fears would fade... but now all I can do is tremble." Kirk's lips brushed against Uhura's and he pulled back, against the forces of Parmen. "But I'm not afraid. I am not afraid." Kirk's lips pressed against Uhura's and she let out another small whimper. Kirk's eyes looked up to Parmen and he let out a death glare that he wished could kill as easily as the weapons Erin wished she could kill Parmen with.  
"Parmen, let's get on with it." Philana leaned forward on her throne and rested her chin in her hand as she smirked.  
"You are so impatient, my wife. Observe the doctor and his friends and learn. They're quite content to wait for the piece de resistance." McCoy and Scotty looked to each other and knew things were going to get far worse. Parmen held up a hand and released the couples from his power. Uhura pulled away quickly and forced herself not to give the Platonians the pleasure of seeing her cry, and Erin glared at Parmen with a deathly glare, just as Spock did.  
Parmen looked to a table and made it move before the Platonians for them to choose what they wanted to see used. Kirk and Spock were forced to their feet and moved to the table. McCoy noticed Scotty was gripping the arms of his chair and leaning forward, about to jump from the platform and throw himself in the line of attack to save Uhura. Parmen's brow furrowed and Philana smirked again and could barely contain her happy brutality at the sight before her. Parmen forced Kirk and Spock to approach the table and looked over the weapons. There were burning coals in a silver cauldron with a hot iron poker next to it, a long whip with golden bladed tips, a dagger with the sharpest of blades, golden brass knuckles, and a ball and chain - two of them. Uhura trembled as Kirk was forced to pick up the whip, and Erin held her breath as Spock was forced to pick up a hot iron poker. Kirk snapped the whip before Uhura's face and she felt the whip slice through the air as Kirk neared her.  
"No!" Scotty shouted a curse to Parmen and he leaped from his seat and grabbed the whip from Kirk. "Yer' not hurting my lass!" Scotty turned to Parmen. "Hurt me if ye' like but yer' not hurting my Nyota!" Parmen and Philana looked to each other and then looked back to Scotty.  
"My wife, do as you wish. It will amuse us all." Parmen gestured for Philana to continue, so the Platonian queen pointed towards Scotty and then to Erin. Instantly, Erin rose from the sofa and grabbed three daggers from another table. Uhura's heart stopped beating as Erin went to one side of the room and Scotty to the other side of the room, frozen in place. Philana laughed and Erin watched in despair as she was forced to toss the daggers at Scotty.  
"Curse my abilities!" Erin shouted as she tossed the first dagger, the dagger that hit Scotty in the shoulder and made him bleed. Uhura cried out and allowed tears to fall down her cheeks. Erin bit her lip as she tried to hold onto the next knife but let it fly. Erin jolted to the left at the last second which caused the dagger to brush Scotty's right cheek. The dagger did not pierce his skin but it did wedge itself into the wall. Uhura jumped up and screamed but before she could throw herself in front of the man she loved, Kirk caught her and held her back.  
"If he dies, let me die with him!" Uhura screamed, falling to her knees and scratching at Kirk's hands, and still, he would not release her. Scotty looked to Kirk and shook his head no. Kirk understood as if they had a mental link. Neither man wanted Uhura to die, even if Scotty's fate was sealed to death.  
Philana, seeing that Erin was out of daggers to throw, whipped her hand away to the side, sending Scotty to fly back into his chair. Uhura sank to her knees in relief that her lover was not to die just yet. Kirk remained holding onto Uhura just in case she tried to attack Philana and die in the process.  
Spock still held the red hot poker in his hands and approached Erin unwillingly, with every step forward struggling to take a step back and toss the poker to the floor. Erin held her breath as she could feel the heat graze along her skin. Erin looked into Spock's eyes and could see only grief and regret. That is, until Spock turned from the Platonians and forced the poker away from Erin. "You are all half dead." Spock glared, his Vulcan eyes the coldest any of the humans had ever seen. "You have been dead for centuries. We may all die within a matter of hours, but at least we are living now, and you cannot bear that thought, can you? You are all half mad for there is nothing inside of you. Nothing!" Spock raised his voice. "You even have to torture us to convince yourselves that you are superior. This is brutality at its worst and illogical."  
There's that word again, but I agree! Spock heard in McCoy's panicked mind.  
While Spock told the Platonians what they truly were, Alexander slipped away from the others and sneaked away to grab a knife from the table of torture implements.  
"Stop it, Parmen!" McCoy shouted. "Stop it! I'll do whatever you want me to do! I'll stay here and serve you, but stop it!" McCoy pleaded with the heartless Platonian king. Even still, Parmen would not listen.  
Alexander moved to strike Parmen but Philana saw him and stopped him using the sheer force of her mind. "Parmen, look."  
"Alexander likes to play with knives. Very well, we shall indulge him." With a wave of Parmen's hand, Alexander was about to stab himself in the stomach with the knife he held, struggling to live and toss the knife away. McCoy and the other humans were panicked. Spock, for a reason he could not give, looked to Erin to see her staring up at him. In that moment, Spock tossed the iron rod to the floor which cracked the white tile. Parmen looked up, his concentration lost, and Erin strode towards a table of weapons and reached for a rope with two iron spheres on either end of it. She tossed it and it spiraled in the air, knocking the knife from Alexander's hands. The dagger flew up and fell again, Parmen spreading his legs as the knife found its way into the velvet seating of his throne. Erin let out a pleased smile and narrowed eyes.  
"How can you do such things?" Parmen shouted at Erin before taking the knife and tossing it aside to the floor.  
Erin stood again and cocked her head to the side. "I have secrets, too, Parmen. We are not all helpless." Parmen glared at Erin and held up his hands. Each of the humans - and Spock and Alexander, too - were thrown across the room and hit against the wall, Parmen's voice booming loudly.  
"I've given you the chance to leave, only if you give the doctor to us. You have chosen against me. At first light tomorrow, I will plunge your starship into the atmosphere and you will serve us for the rest of your natural lives!" Parmen shouted. The king extended his hands before him and with a breeze, the travelers from the Enterprise - and Alexander - all skidded across the floor and were locked outside the throne room with the doors shut and locked behind them. Spock moved to Erin, Scotty to Uhura, and Kirk ran at the door and pounded it with his fists, calling Parmen a cowardly excuse for a king.  
"It's hopeless, Jim. Parmen will destroy us all, in time." McCoy went to Kirk and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.  
Kirk pushed McCoy away. "Didn't you once say that I make life happen from all chances of death? Something like that? Bones, there is always hope. We just need to find it." Kirk looked to the windows and went to escape but felt a force push him back to the floor. Sulu and Chekov helped their captain to his feet before charging at the door again.  
"Erin, are you alright?" Spock turned Erin away from the others and looked her in the eyes, his own deep brown eyes holding a look of concern.  
Erin nodded. "I'm fine, Spock." Erin took in a breath, her eyes distant, and Spock knew Erin was forming a plan in her mind. Now would be an adequate time for options of what to do but Spock felt it best not to ask what Erin was thinking just yet.  
"I'm sorry, Captain Kirk." Alexander felt he let his new friends down. "I should have warned you to leave when I had the chance. Now... I've failed you, and I'm so very sorry. Because of me, your fate is sealed..." Alexander's voice trailed off, his breathing uneasy.  
"Jim, if we must serve those monsters, we may as well rest now... Try to stop them before dawn." McCoy suggested.  
Kirk slammed his fists into the door and then his head, his eyes shut tight in anger. "If we don't do something... anything, everyone on the Enterprise will die." Kirk stepped back from the door.  
Alexander stepped forth and let out a sigh. "I'll show you to your rooms, if you like." Kirk acted as if he was a man in a fading dream, the hope leaving his eyes and his soul. Kirk took in another breath and nodded, Alexander then showing all to their rooms down the hall. Kirk had one bedroom, McCoy another, Scotty and Uhura sharing one bedroom, and Sulu and Chekov in two other rooms. The last two star travelers were Spock and Erin, lingering together in the common room.  
"Spock, do you have any ideas on how to escape?" Erin asked Spock.  
"If I had any ideas, Erin, I would have told Jim. So far, I have no ideas." Erin stood as if frozen in time, and Spock turned to her and embraced her. Erin's eyes widened as she felt her body respond to Spock, her hands circling around him, her hand feeling his heartbeat as it slid up his side. Erin's throat went dry and she blinked back tears, refusing to let them fall. Her eyes closed and she returned Spock's tight embrace, half of her wondering if Spock had gone mad for showing her this feeling, this emotion. "Erin, I am truly sorry I failed you. I've failed to protect you, a friend... more." Erin's blue eyes opened and she thought to herself how a Vulcan like Spock could ever think of something more than a friend. It intrigued Erin, even fascinated her. To give up now would be foolish, and in that moment, Erin refused to surrender, only to lose some form of a future with Spock.  
"You have not failed me, Spock." Erin pulled away and Spock's eyes searched for any answer to why in Erin's pale porcelain face. "You just showed me something that could be... Thank you." Spock quirked an eyebrow, asking Erin 'What?' Erin let out a small smile and looked into Spock's hypnotizing eyes. "I will put a stop to our captors. There will be new hope again."  
Spock, again, quirked an eyebrow. "How?"  
"You'll be in more danger if I tell you. Just as you are fascinating, let me continue to be mysterious. Trust me." Before Spock could say anything more, Erin snaked an arm around Spock's neck and pulled him down to kiss her, their lips touching and electricity cracking between them, another force, stronger than them both, felt by both of them. "Spock, I've love you. I can't lose you. Ever."


	4. Torture

Night came but none of the off-worlders could sleep. Kirk did not sleep on his bed, instead going to the window and watching the Enterprise in orbit, flashes of gold and white and red marking the Enterprise lights. He beat himself up mentally in self-hatred for he didn't know what to do to save his crew, his family. Kirk lost his brother once and gained back more; Spock and McCoy like brothers to him, and Erin like a sister. McCoy lay awake thinking to himself that if only he stayed, his friends wouldn't have ended up in their current situation and they'd be free, safe, and alive. Scotty and Uhura lay in bed together talking about the questions they shared in their minds. Uhura, upon choking up and crying, Scotty simply held her in his arms to comfort her. Sulu lay in his own bed wishing he could have a foil with him so he could threaten their way off Platonius with his friends, and Chekov wished he could do anything to help out. Spock lay awake most of the night wondering if he would ever get the chance to tell Erin he loved her in return. It seemed too soon to have a future with Erin torn from him like star-crossed lovers, like William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  
Erin did not sleep a wink that night, either, pacing about her room, her heels quietly clicking against the tiled floor. She thought to herself about their current situation. Jim had no Plan A, and Spock had no Plan B, so it was up to her for Plan C. Despite it being dark, the palace was alight by the stars and moons outside. Even if Erin could not escape through the window, she did still have the sword of Peleus. Erin looked at the glimmering sword and went to it, her hand barely touching the grip.  
I've given that part of my life up... but if I do not return to it, my friends... my family... will all die. Erin took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, her fingers snaking around the grip and her other hand feeling the smooth silver blade. In that moment, Erin made a decision that she knew would alter the course of her life, change everything again.  
Spock's eyelids shut and he entered into a light sleep, dreams fading in and out. He dreamed of Erin, their kiss. The Vulcan tossed in his sleep and the dream changed, a new setting appearing. Spock recalled Erin telling him about her family back on Earth, her parents being wealthy, owning a large home in a suburban town, a beach house in Florida, and a secluded, lakeside cabin in Maine. The image changed from Platonius to the cabin, Erin standing on the steps of the porch with Spock behind her, holding her. Erin turned in his arms and the two kissed. The dream faded and Spock opened his eyes to see it was bright outside, far past first light. He leaped from the bed and went to the window. The Enterprise he could see, and he extended a hand out, finding that there was no longer a force field blocking his way from going outside.  
"Captain Kirk!" Spock heard Uhura scream. The Vulcan leaped from his seat at the window and raced into the throne room, finding the others gathered in the room. Uhura had turned away from the others and Scotty held her in his arms with a hand on her back. "I feel sick." Uhura hunched over and Spock wondered why she said that. He turned from Uhura and Scotty and looked to the others who were all circled around... Parmen. As Spock neared the philosopher king, he realized Parmen was dead, lying in a pool of his own crimson red blood.  
"Who did this?" Spock asked Kirk. It was then that Alexander entered the room and looked to his former leader, his former... owner. "Alexander, did you-"  
Kirk was interrupted by Alexander. "Captain Kirk, I wanted to kill them, but I didn't. I swear on my life!" Kirk didn't look entirely convinced until Erin appeared in the archway of the door. All looked to her and Spock stopped breathing upon looking her over, his heart slowing and time freezing. Erin remained in her Greek-styled dress but the entire thing was soaked in blood. Not her blood, for she had no open wounds on her skin. As all looked her over, they took note that she held the sword of Peleus, the blade of the sword stained in blood. Uhura looked her best friend over and held her breath as she forced herself to hold everything in. Erin looked to the sword and tossed it to the floor, the tile now spattered with blood from the sword and droplets lining her skirt dripping, too.  
"Erin, did you do this?" Kirk asked.  
"Captain... Jim... I killed them. All thirty-seven of them." Erin looked to her friends' faces and saw looks of surprise and shock, confusion and horror, even Alexander.  
"You?" McCoy looked to Erin with shock. "How could someone like you, someone so kind, so loving, so empathetic, how could you do this?" McCoy looked Erin over, Spock taking note that McCoy was as confused as the rest of them. "How could you kill thirty-seven people in one night? That's impossible for a beginner assassin..." Suddenly, some things began to make sense for Spock. Spock looked to Erin for answers. If he asked, she'd tell him anything and everything he wanted to know.  
"Before I joined Starfleet, I worked for my father in the Earth government. My job was to kill people, end lives. I was the best teenage assassin of my time, my life secret from others. I am able to kill swiftly, silently, efficiently. After joining Starfleet, I promised myself I would never kill again unless there was no other choice. Last night, I went to Parmen with the sword of Peleus hidden behind me. I planned only to scare him, threaten him and save our lives. He told me we were weak, that he and Philana and the others placed wagers on our lives, betting on who would live and who would die, even gambling on who would kill themselves. By killing thirty-seven of them, I saved four hundred and thirty lives, your crew, my... our friends." Erin paused for a second. "The good of the many outweighs the good of the few." Erin looked to Spock and then back to Kirk. "Transfer me off the Enterprise, if that is what you like, but I am not sorry for what I did." Erin looked to Parmen's dead body and then to Kirk. "Parmen's powers no longer exist, so the communicators should work now, I believe."


	5. In The Night

Kirk and the others transported back to the Enterprise with Alexander in tow and left the transporter chief in surprise by how they were all dressed, but he didn't say a word. He looked over Erin and Uhura, wondering what Erin did and thought Uhura quite beautiful despite her attire being out of place in the 23rd century.  
"Captain Kirk, thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" Alexander repeated again and again. "You saved my life. I'll never repay you enough for saving my life. Thank you! I'll help with whatever I can on this ship, the Enterprise, anyway I can! Thank you!" Erin let out a smile as she saw Alexander's complete happiness in being freed from a torturous servitude.  
"Erin, show Alexander to his quarters and then wait for a time. I must discuss your... future... with the others in the briefing room." Kirk said to the first officer's assistant.  
Erin nodded. "Alright, Captain Kirk. Alexander, come with me." Erin let out another small smile as she began to lead the Platonian dwarf out of the transporter room and deeper into the ship. Kirk smiled to himself as he saw Alexander look all about, telling Erin he'd never seen anything like the Enterprise before, saying that when Sandara went nova millennia ago, the ship the Platonians traveled through the stars with was gold and white and black, looking like something out of a futuristic Greek-like dream.  
"What was it like killing Parmen and the others?" Alexander asked quietly as they turned the corner and entered the turbolift, finding it void of other crewmen. Erin was silent for a moment more before she was willing to talk.  
"Killing the Plutonians brought back memories of my childhood, what I used to do. It felt right to kill... them, I mean." Erin said quickly.  
Erin stopped the turbolift on deck two and walked Alexander down the hall to his quarters. Erin passed by Yeoman Janice Rand and Yeoman Tina Lauten, who both looked at Erin with worried expressions on their faces. Erin smiled to them and assured them she was alright, and introduced them to Alexander, telling them he was from the planet below. Alexander smiled up at the two blonde yeomen and bowed to them. Tina smiled and told Alexander she'd never met a Platonian before. Alexander said he was the last one, and Erin breathed in quickly, Janice and Tina looking at the blood on her clothes. Alexander realized what he said and quieted. Erin forced a smile and asked her friends if they'd want to meet up in the recreation room later for a game of cards. The two yeomen nodded and continued on their way.  
Upon entering Alexander's new quarters, the dwarf turned to Erin and told her that her friends were quite beautiful. Erin agreed, and said that practically everyone on the Enterprise was kind and welcoming. Alexander then asked her, "Erin, you don't have to tell me this if you don't want to, but why did you stop working for your father in the Earth government?"  
Erin let out a slow exhale. "I'll tell you if you swear never to tell anyone else what I am about to tell you." Alexander nodded quickly, swearing in the ancient Platonian language. "Alright, I worked for my father starting when I was thirteen. I rose in the ranks of teenage assassins quickly, and soon became the best. I couldn't tell anyone about what I did because then I would put everyone I loved in jeopardy; my father, my mother, and even my brother. My last target was a child, younger than I, and I watched as the life left his eyes. I knew killing was my calling but I wanted a real life, one I could truly live and tell others about. I wanted friends. I left my line of work and joined Starfleet, because I knew if I had stayed on Earth, I would eventually return to my father and continue to kill. I swore never to kill again unless absolutely necessary, and that time came."  
"Do you want to stay here on the Enterprise? With Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy and Mister Spock?" Alexander asked Erin.  
"More than anything." was Erin's response.


	6. Return to Enterprise

Kirk, Spock, and Uhura quickly went to their quarters to change back into their uniforms before meeting up with the rest of the senior officers in the briefing room to discuss the future of Erin Rogoff, the first officer's assistant and a killer of many. Kirk felt uneasy as he had no idea how many people Erin Rogoff had actually killed in her life.  
There was a deafening silence in the briefing room. "Who votes we should keep Erin aboard the Enterprise?" Kirk asked.  
"I say we keep her. She did save all our lives." McCoy, despite being fearful of Erin's newly-discovered abilities, was Erin's friend and would go to bat for her, so to speak, and fight to keep her stay. "Without her quick thinking, we could all just as easily have remained on Platonius and served Parmen and the others as their slaves for the rest of our lives."  
Kirk then turned to Scotty for his opinion. "Captain Kirk, we don't know how many people Erin has killed. If she turned from our side, she could just as easily kill the lot of us, too. She killed thirty-eight Platonians without a second thought, so who is to say she wouldn't kill us?" Scotty feared Erin now.  
"Scotty, Erin is our friend. I know she wouldn't kill us. I think we should keep her. There are some of us who are scared to kill, labeled as murderers, and Erin doesn't seem to fear that. I saw the look in her eyes on Platonius. She fears us, what we think. She doesn't want to leave us, I know that just by knowing her." Uhura may have been Mister Scott's woman but she didn't always agree with him, like now.  
The others spoke their pieces about whether or not to keep Erin Rogoff aboard the Enterprise, and Kirk listened to them all. They all had their reasons for keeping Erin or fearing her, and they made good points.  
"Keptin, we have not heard from you. What do you think about Erin?" Chekov said in his thick Russian accent.  
"I've known Erin since she joined Starfleet. She was secretive about her past, maybe more so than you, Spock, but she did it to protect herself in fear of being judged. I can't hate her for that. Besides, she'd a personal friend of mine and practically like a sister. I don't want to see her leave just because she protected us and the rest of the crew. Back on Earth, she may have killed but only for the side of good. We can't punish Erin for that." Kirk turned to Spock. "Spock, what do you think?"  
"It would be logical to keep Erin here. What if we need her services again and she is not here? She is trained to kill and fights for the good of the people. What if we try to do as she has done and we die ourselves? I say she stays. I have reasons, logical and personal, but I do not think we should force Erin to leave just because of her past." McCoy raised an eyebrow, thinking about Spock's 'personal' reasons for fighting in Erin's corner. The doctor wondered if Spock felt something for Erin more than just a friendship and camaraderie, and briefly wondered what it was Spock said to Erin when they were forced to kiss on Platonius for he did not hear them.  
After all was said and done, Captain Kirk and the others agreed to keep Erin Rogoff aboard the Enterprise. She needed friends, a family, people who wouldn't hate her for her talents, no matter how dark they were.  
"Jim, may I tell Erin our decision? I must speak with her privately, so it would be logical to tell her the news then." Spock asked Kirk after the rest of the senior officers left the briefing room. Kirk nodded and Spock let out a smile before turning and leaving the briefing room.


	7. Decisions

As Spock walked briskly though the halls of the Enterprise, he felt his mind explode from the kironide. He did not have a headache, but he could hear the thoughts of everyone around him. A crewman here thought of his girl back home on Terra, a crewwoman there thought about dinner with her boyfriend later when off-duty, and Spock focused hard on hearing only the thoughts of Erin. He heard them, and he thought about what he was going to say to Erin.  
Erin, Captain Kirk, the others, and I have thought of what you did. We want to keep you aboard the Enterprise, and I am in love with you. No, that will not work. Spock thought to himself as he neared Erin's quarters. Before knocking on the door to Erin's cabin, he took in a deep inhale and walked through the doors as they opened and Erin said, 'Enter.'  
Spock saw Erin pacing about her quarters. She no longer wore the blood-soaked Greek-style dress the Platonians forced her to wear, but instead wore a black dress with a scooping neckline, long sleeves that clung to her form, and the skirt portion of the dress short, barely covering her thighs. Erin reddened and she asked Spock, 'Is there something I can do for you, Spock?'  
Spock forced his gaze to look to Erin's blue eyes. He stammered for a brief moment before speaking clearly again. "Erin, Jim, McCoy, the others, and I have come to a decision about your future." Erin looked to the floor with a saddened expression on her face. Spock heard in Erin's mind asking what their decision was, whether to keep her or send her away for killing thirty-seven Platonians. "We would like you to stay." Erin looked up, her eyes wide with surprise for she thought otherwise, and let out a small smile. "I also have something to say to you."  
Erin raised an eyebrow and looked Spock over. What else did he have to say- Oh. Erin remembered that Spock recalled their kiss, not the one they were forced to enter into, the kiss Erin gave Spock before telling him she loved him. "Spock, I'm sorry for kiss-" Spock strode over to Erin, took her in his arms, and kissed her firmly on the lips. Erin's eyes widened and then closed as she savored the kiss, her arms snaking around Spock and holding onto him. Spock was the first to break the kiss, remembering both of them needed the air to breathe.  
"Erin, you needn't apologize for something we both wanted. I came here with the intent to tell you that you are to stay aboard this ship, and to tell you that... I love you. I've known you for three years, six months, and an odd number of days, and I can no longer hide the fact that I am in love with you." Erin looked Spock over and smiled.  
"I didn't think you could love me back." Spock gave Erin a questioning look, and she continued. "I thought a Vulcan, a pacifist, could never love someone like me, a former assassin. How can you love someone like me? I'm not a Vulcan. I'm flawed, I've killed at least a hundred-"  
Spock silenced Erin with another kiss. "I love you for you, Erin... Thy'la." And with that, Spock held up two fingers together and Erin realized what Spock was doing. Spock had kissed her in the human way, and now he was to kiss her in the Vulcan way. "I live among the stars, and you are my sun. My planet, my heart, revolves around you and you alone." Erin let out a smile and Spock touched Erin's cheek with a hand before kissing her once more, the two feeling the lightning crack between them as their lips touched once more. "I will love you forever."


End file.
